R&S®GB5450 Radio control unit

Standalone and independent air-ground communications device

Key facts

Efficient solution for airports, emergency communications and technology rooms
Assignment of up to 12 frequencies
Easy configuration via device web browser
Future proof - upgradeable to full size VCS

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Brief description

Intuitive and user friendly full functional radio control unit for radiocommunications

The radio control unit (RCU) is based on the R&S GB5450 and is a terminal for air-ground communications. The radio control unit provides a wide selection of functions giving air traffic controllers the resources they need. Based on the B5450R-PL license, the R&S GB5450 can be operated in standalone mode for air-ground communications without any VCS server components. It can be connected as many as 12 radios and two recording sessions. Optional migration to a centrally managed VCS is also available. The radio control unit can be monitored using the SNMP protocol from the customer umbrella management (e.g. RCMS). Depending on the operational task (tower/area control center), the system offers the following functions and services:

air-ground communications
radio status monitoring
radio frequency change
radio split site operation
cross coupling
emergency call and PPT
and others

The radio control unit is connected to the radios using the ED-137 communications protocol with two fully redundant Ethernet interfaces which can be linked to two independent Ethernet switches. If there is a network failure, the Ethernet interfaces automatically switch from main to standby and no connected calls are dropped.

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Features & benefits

Easy configuration via web

Local setup and configuration directly via web on the RCU

The radio control unit can be set up without any server component. The simple web configuration makes the radio control unit ideal for small to medium-sized airports, emergency communications or installation in technical rooms.

Radiocommunications with up to 12 frequencies

RCU enables air-ground communications with up to twelve frequencies (RX, TX or RTX)

The main RCU screen has a large area for the radio operational button, where controllers can operate allocated radio resources, change the radio selection, control the radios and view the main status of the radio resources.

Cross coupling (XC)

Automatic retransmission of received signal in one radio frequency to other radio frequencies in the cross coupling group

The cross coupling (XC) radio function enables automatic retransmission of received signals in one radio frequency to other radio frequencies in the cross coupling group. Cross coupling can combine a number of radio resources into a logical group where a transmission is heard by all group members, depending on the selected cross coupling mode.

Rich air ground functionality

Besides radio-specific functions, the system offers several general features that improve the user experience and ensure safety during ATC operations

Features include short term recording for instant replay of recent radiocommunications at the radio control unit and a second option for short term replay: the "Say again" function, allowing controllers to listen to the most recent communications.